At the very least, the Indiana legislature owes it to itself this coming summer to study ways to help its riverboat casinos to become more competitive. In our view, that means allowing riverboats to build on land, in their own footprints, if they desire.
Such a change would do double duty for Evansville, allowing its Tropicana Casino save on some of the cost of maintaining a floating riverboat, and it would possibly make space for LST 325 to relocate from Inland Marina to the more visitor-accessible Tropicana space near Dress Plaza.
Alas, such an idea has not set well with some Indiana leaders, among them Gov. Mike Pence, who sees moving the riverboats to land as an expansion of gambling in Indiana. We see making such move as doing nothing more than staying even with the competition — hardly an expansion — and allowing Indiana’s riverboat companies to keep an edge.
Regardless, Chelsea Schneider of the Courier & Press reported last week that Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) said that Indiana lawmakers may study ways to give Indiana riverboats that edge over the competition.
“The whole issue seems to revolve around the expansion of gaming and what do you interpret that to mean,” Long said.
As we said, we don’t see moving to land as an expansion.
Long said an area the committee would explore is the diminishing revenue the state receives from riverboats.
State Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, who supports the study, said a change could be such the move to land.
We certainly hope so.